Six years ago when President Goodluck Jonathan visited Lagos state, Lai Mohammed, minister of information, was the spokesman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
To avoid a lockdown of the metropolitan city, Mohammed had suggested that the president should either reschedule his visit to the state or make use of a helicopter.
He wondered why the nation’s number one citizen inflict hardship on residents of the state during his visits.
“We have been compelled to write a letter to the Lagos State governor asking him to please prevail on the President to reschedule his visit. But if his visit must go on, he should use another means of transportation such as the helicopter so that the whole town is not locked up,” he had asked.
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“Anytime Mr President is coming to Lagos, our roads are closed, and traffic congestion is at its highest. The whole city is shut down for the entire day….. So, we’re appealing to Mr President, through the Governor, to please reconsider his visit.
“And if he must come, he should inflict the minimum pain and hardship on Nigerians.”
A similar scenario played out on Thursday but Mohammed’s voice was missing among those who condemned blocking of major roads.
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Many trekked long distances to their destinations while a lot of flights were cancelled as passengers could not make it to the airport.
But Mohammed sat comfortably inside the hall of the Eko Convention Centre where the 10th Bola Tinubu Colloquium held.
